Struggling in Public
Remove the mask. Find support. Build your legend.
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Photo by Jeremy Bezanger on Unsplash
How to Ruin Star Wars
We all want to leave our mark on this world.
One person to undoubtedly leave their mark is George Lucas. Star Wars is a global sensation. It may have even altered Cold War affairs.
(Side note: If you’re a sci-fi nerd like me, read The World According to Star Wars. Thank me later.)
Star Wars is a fantastic story. But what if it wasn’t?
Imagine this…
You go the movie theater and sit down with your bucket of popcorn. You’re about to watch the very first Star Wars for the first time. The bold, yellow opening script crawls across the screen. “A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far away…”
But then it says this:
“The empire was trying to take over the galaxy, but Luke Skywalker stopped them by destroying the Death Star.”
Then the closing credits start and the lights come up.
Wait… What?!
How disappointing. How dare they rob you of the adventure you were about to take.
To build in public, struggle in public you must
Needless to say, Star Wars would not be around today if this had happened. But this is how we treat telling our own stories.
We don’t share the adventures in our own lives, only brief summaries after the action has past.
Great stories—whether Star Wars or your startup—are defined by the crises they face and overcome. Audience members show up for the struggle, not the outcome. The messy middle is what legends are made of.
If you’re afraid to share your struggles because of what people might think… here’s the truth:
If you don’t share your struggles, people won’t think about you… at all.
And your odds of success fall dramatically.
We can use storytelling techniques to shape our own stories. But that’s impossible to do if we don’t share our ups AND our downs.
Share the Ups and Downs. It’s part of your Legend.
It’s hard for me to overstate how much respect I have for Danny Miranda.
The dude is a beast. I first noticed him when he set a goal of publishing 100 podcast episodes in 2021. He did it by April.
Not only is he motivated, he’s extremely conscientious. One of the nicest people’s you’ll meet on the internet.
But then in January, he sent out this Tweet:
Ask yourself: Would you have the guts to share this Tweet with 20,000 followers on the internet?
You might think sharing this would hurt his reputation. In my eyes, it’s done the opposite. I’m rooting for Danny more than ever.
Why do audience members react positively when you share your struggles?
Because when you grow to like someone, you want to see them succeed. When they get knocked down, you root for them to get back up and keep going.
This struggle will become part of Danny’s legend.
More importantly, the public accountability will help him overcome it.
Remove the mask. Find support. Build your legend.
Sharing your struggles is terrifying. I’m well-aware.
When I shared my financial challenges in December, it was the first time I told anyone besides my wife. I felt like a fraud. A terrible entrepreneur.
But it was also one of the most freeing moments of my life.
It felt like removing a mask I had been wearing for years. I could finally be open about everything in my life, not just the good parts.
I also got support from friends, family, followers, and strangers who said they appreciated me being so open. It was an amazing feeling. I’m more motivated than ever to get out of debt.
This challenge has now become part of my legend. When I get out of debt and reach my financial goals, the celebration will be bigger because I’ve shared everything with you.
(Yes, even bigger than the bonfire part on Endor.)
…
So… should you share your challenges in public? Besides the reasons I just listed, I’ll leave you with one more test to decide:
Is there anything in your life you’ve wanted to share, but haven’t for some reason? Do you think about it often? Is it nagging at you?
I have a motto: Do what you fear.
If this post resonated with you because you have something do share, do it. It could change your life.
If you want to start with an audience of one, I’m all ears. Feel free to email me. I’ll be your biggest fan and do whatever I can do help.
We all want to leave our mark on the world. It’s time to build your legend.
Cheers,
Ben
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